Say You'll Haunt Me

On each side of the cement walkway up to the house were body pieces accompanied by blood and entrails. A coffin lay in the middle of the yard, accompanied by smoke and the occasional feral set of yellow eyes that would appear when the lid opened. A body hung from the tree, limbless and a guy stood beneath him in a blood soaked costume with a chain saw in hand. On the sidewalk, the once contained glowing liquid from a glow stick was now splattered all over and eerily luminescent in the dark of the night. A blue tarp lay on the ground on the other side of the walkway, covering part of what seemed to be a considerably deep hole; and a man was apparently attempting to climb out. From within the house, Marilyn Manson's version of Sweet Dreams could be heard adding to the eerie atmosphere.

"Holy shit, Alesha, your friends really go all out." Cara, dressed as cat woman walked carefully between her best friend Alesha and her twin sister, Carly as they approached the house slowly.

"Yeah, they usually - "

"Holy fucking hell!" Carly screamed, cutting off Alesha and running past her and her sister to the front steps of the house.

"What's wrong with you?" Cara asked curiously as she and Alesha looked around.

She was trying to catch her breath but spoke quickly none the less. "That guy in the hole grabbed my fucking ankle."

Cara crouched down the best she could in her tightfitting leather suit and grabbed the guy's arm. He was wearing a thick coat and gloves so she wasn't able to actually feel his skin so she dropped his arm back to the ground. He never moved. "Carly, come on admit it, you're just freaked out. It was because of that haunted house earlier."

When Cara stood up she came face to face with the man wielding the chainsaw who'd previously been on the other side of the yard. She screamed and nearly fell back into the hole, but the dead guy, who apparently wasn't so dead, caught her. Both guys seemed to be getting a good laugh out of it. So were Alesha and Carly.

"You alright?" the guy holding her up asked as he helped her back onto her feet. Cara took a deep breath when she was finally standing and nodded.

Alesha recognized his voice right away. "Mathew Sanders, I should've guessed."

The chainsaw figure set down the very real piece of equipment and removed his mask and smiled.

"And Zacky Baker. Even more predictable." Alesha grinned, knowing full well it was Zack's favorite holiday. In fact he probably had a hand in setting the place up.

"What about me?"

Alesha turned around and nearly bumped noses with the guy who'd been hanging in the tree.

"Holy god," she jumped in her own skin and it took her a moment to regain her compsure. "You guys have got to stop doing that."

"Well we got everyone, but you," Zack grinned.

"Couldn't let you get away unscathed," Matt Berry laughed as he adjusted the noose around his neck. They were no doubt using close to the same apparatus that they had on their last tour when the guy hung himself before every show.

"How long have you guys been out here?"

Matt looked up at Carly who was still standing on the front steps dressed as a deadly Pocahontas.

"A long time," he laughed. "Couple hours anyway. Syn and Jason and Johnny were out here earlier, we took turns. We're about to head in soon. Not many others should be showing up."

"Well despite me nearly having a heart attack," Cara smiled softly, "the yard looks awesome."

"Thanks," Zack beamed. "Now you guys better get inside. I hear more people coming. We'll see you when we come in."

The girls nodded and headed up to the front door while the guys got back into their positions.

Alesha did another once over of her costume. She'd chosen to be Alice In Wonderland this year, only, more of a twisted Alice. Her bleach blond hair was tied back with a black ribbon. She was wearing a light blue and white frilly dress that came down to mid thigh and white stockings that stopped just below the dress, showing off only a bit of leg. Blood trickled from one corner of her mouth and she held a blood stained white teddy bear rabbit in one hand and gold stop watch in her other blood covered hand.

Cara rang the doorbell and it opened mere seconds later.

"Sorry ladies, private house party, we're not letting just anyone in."

Alesha looked up from her costume and smiled. "Jason, are you kidding, it's me."

"Holy shit, Alesha, look at you - and in a dress."

"Yeah, kinda ridiculous, I know."

"No," Jason shook his head and laughed, "what the hell have you been hiding those legs for?"

"Oh, christ," she reached out and punched him in the shoulder playfully before turning to her two friends who were patiently waiting behind her. "Jason, these are my friends, Cara and Carly. Girls, this is Jason Berry. His twin brother was the one that was hanging in the tree."

They shook hands and Jason stepped aside to let them in.

"Make yourselves at home," he called after Cara and Carly as they immediately imersed themselves into the crowd of party goers. "Drinks are in the kitchen!"

"Decided to have it at your house this year, huh?" Alesha wiped her black heels off on the mat and Jason closed the door behind her.

"Yeah, the wife gave the okay. Next year we're thinking Brian and Michelle's because we could decorate part of the beach as well.

"Yeah, it'd be easier on the lawn too," Alesha referred to the hole they'd had to dig out of the middle of the lawn for Matt to hide in.

"Yeah, she was a little pissed about that, but I talked her into planting a tree there or something."

"That's a good idea." She nodded and eyed him up and down. "So I've gotta ask, what are you dressed as? A graduate?"

He was dressed in the typical black graduation gown with the grad cap and tassel, but the collar was adorned with green and white stripes. He shook his head. "Not just any graduate," he turned around and Alesha giggled. Across the backs of his shoulders in green and white iron on lettering read Vengeance University.

"A Vengeance University Graduate, huh? Damn, I wish I could claim that."

"Talk to Zack, he'll hook you up." He grinned then motioned to her left hand. "Speaking of hooking up, I hear you're engaged. Congratulations."

"I am, thank you," Alesha stole a quick glimpse of her teardrop diamond engagement ring on her left hand then looked back up at Jason. "He would be here tonight, except that he hates Halloween, so it's my one night a year that I really get to go out and do whatever the hell I want."

The doorbell rang again and Jason laughed. "Well get your ass to the kitchen and make the most of it then."

"I will, thank you." Alesha smiled and began heading through the house, stopping to say hi to people here and there before she entered the kitchen, where she found Cara and Carly engaged in something apparently very funny.

"If there's a costume contest, your friend should definitely win." Cara gestured for Alesha to step closer.

Alesha stuffed the teddy bear rabbit and watch under one arm and grabbed a cup off the stack in the middle of the island in the kitchen. With one hand, she managed to open the Jagermeister bottle and dump some into her glass before grabbing a can of red bull out of the sink which was filled with ice and many other canned mixes.

"Like a pro, Alesha!" Johnny Gera raised his glass to her as she opened up her can of red bull with one hand then added it to her cup as well.

"The only reason he can pull that off is because of that body." Carly wolf whistled playfully.

Once her drink was mixed Alesha followed their gazes to see Danny, Avenged Sevenfold's very good friend and personal trainer standing near them in a black swimsuit thong, and wrapped arcross his chest like a sash was a ribbon and a bow.

"What are you supposed to be?" Cara asked him playfully.

He looked up and Alesha's breath caught in her throat as they locked eyes. It'd been exactly a year since she'd saw him last and it'd been exactly a year before that. He went on tour, she worked at the hospital. Getting to hangout was rarely an option. Not that she was really even the hangout type of girl in the first place, and she kinda got the feeling he wasn't either.

"I, ladies," he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Cara and Carly, planting himself in front of Alesha, "am God's gift to women."

Alesha ran her eyes up and down his body and agreed with him whole heartedly. She'd forgotten just how god-like he was.

"I'm serious," he was looking directly at Cara who was giggling. "Check the tag."

Alesha reached out and grasped onto the large tag that seemed to be hanging from the bow. She read it aloud, "To Women. From God. Sorry no returns."

"Since you touched the tag first, I hope you know I'm yours for the night."

Alesha rolled her eyes as he dropped his arms from around the twins. "Sorry girls."

She took a step back and he stepped closer.

"I was hoping you'd show up." He grinned and hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him and cutting the other girls off from their conversation.

"I wouldn't miss Halloween for anything."

"No?" he quirked an eyebrow and searched her face for any sign that she might be lying, or worse, being sarcastic. But she held his gaze steadily with her own piercing blue eyes.
"Alright, turn around, and lets head upstairs. I'm right behind you."

She quickly downed her drink and left the cup on the counter before turning around and making her way to the stairs. She spoke to a few people along the way, trying to make it a little less obvious that she'd been here about ten minutes and was already heading upstairs. But if anyone knew anything, they never said anything either.

"First door on the left," Danny spoke softly from behind her before greeting another one of his friends half way up the staircase.

Alesha kept on going and opened the first door on the left slowly. Last thing she wanted was to walk in on someone else. But the room was super clean, and empty, and featured nothing more than a bed, dresser, closet and tv. Typical guest bedroom.

"I told Jason I was calling dibs on this bedroom."

She turned around to see him closing and locking the door behind him.

"And he didn't question it?"

She realized after the look he gave her that it was a stupid question. Danny was a ladies man. Everyone knew that.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up," he walked towards her as he removed the ribbon and tag that were wrapped around his upperbody before dropping it to the floor. "I was actually growing concerned."

She laughed softly and dropped the rabbit and watch she was carrying to the floor. "Good."

He growled at her playfully and stepped closer, his hand slid along her cheek and into her blond hair before bringing her mouth to his own. At equal height, she loved that she could get as close to him as possible. His all consuming kiss forced her to wrap her arms around his lean, muscled waist and pull him closer.

He pulled away just enough to whisper against her lips. "I was afraid I'd miss kisses like that, and a body like this," he reached around her and slid his fingertips along the zipper up the back of her dress.

She forced back a chuckle, he was smooth, but also transparent. She often wondered how easy it was for him to slip off a girl's outfit and chase her into bed. Her thoughts disappeared when his knuckles brushed along the smooth skin of her lower back, she hadn't even noticed that her dress was undone and slipping off her shoulders.

He was good.

He nudged her nose with his own before nipping softly along the line of her jaw to her earlobe. His scruffy cheek rubbed against hers and she suddenly needed to feel him against her.
She shrugged out of her dress as quickly as possible and pushed him towards the bed. When he hit the comforter she crawled over top of him in her bra and panties.

"I knew I was playing with fire," he grinned up at her and grasped onto her waist. "But, despite what you think, I'm in control."

In the blink of an eye he had them flipped over and her pinned to the bed with her hands up above her head. One of his hands encircled both of her wrists while the other caressed her cheek, his thumb brushed over the make up she'd used as fake blood at the corner of her mouth and wiped it away. She turned her head and nipped at his thumb while arching up underneath him.

"Mmm," he locked eyes with her and grinned, "is naughty Alice ready to come out and play?"

***

The California sun was seeping through the blinds over the window and casting a lined pattern across the top of the blue comforter. Dan propped himself up onto his elbows and the blankets fell around his waist. She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to just walk out of this bedroom and leave his very nicely sculpted naked ass in bed. He definitely had the come hither look down pat. The way he was looking at her now was the way he'd eyed her last night; a feral cat just toying with it's prey.

"You're really gonna head home already?"

She nodded her head and slipped back into her Alice In Wonderland dress. She walked back to the bed and turned around, "can you do it up, please?"

He leaned over and pressed his lips to the small of her back before slowly sliding the zipper up along her spine.

"I want you to stay."

She turned around to face him. "I can't, Dan. I have to get home or Alex is gonna wonder what the hell happened."

"Yeah, I saw the rock. Won't lie, makes me a little jealous."

"You had the chance."

"I like this tradition." He blurted out suddenly, changing the subject. "Hooking up on Halloween. But I hate what it does to me. No matter who the fuck I bring home I swear to god it's you I think about."

"Sorry," she shrugged nonchalantley, "not my intentions."

"Bull shit," he frowned. "You wanna be remembered to some degree or you wouldn't act the way you do, at least in bed anyway." He crawled out of bed and stood up in front of her, naked as all get out. "And yet, it's what I crave. Say you'll haunt me?"

She couldn't deny that she enjoyed the fact that he was thinking about her all the time, but she didn't want him to know that. She couldn't let him know that. She turned to him, intent on telling him to knock it off, but who was she kidding. Dan was a weak spot, always would be, and she knew deep down that made her a horrible person, but it still did nothing to curb the craving she had for him.

"Oh I'll haunt you," she promised with a smile, "every Halloween."